Furniture Leg Cover

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a furniture leg cover with an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve. The inner sleeve is cuboidal in shape and features a flexible polygonal opening on its superior surface through which to receive furniture legs of varying sizes. The outer sleeve may likewise be cuboidal in shape and encompasses the inner sleeve on its anterior and lateral surfaces. The bottom surface of the outer sleeve features an arch such that only the outer edges of the bottom surface make contact with the flooring. The furniture leg provides protection to flooring and furniture legs while providing decorative aesthetics.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority and benefit of U.S. Prov. App. Ser.No. 62/740,595 (filed Oct. 3, 2018) and this document is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. This application also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Des. App. Ser. No. 29/633,979 (filed Sep.20, 2018) and this document is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC AND INCORPORATED BYREFERENCE OF THE MATERIAL ON THE COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINTINVENTOR

Reserved for a later date, if necessary.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of Invention

The disclosed subject matter is in the field of floor protection andhome decor.

Background of the Invention

Well-preserved flooring in the home contributes greatly to the aestheticappearance of the interior of the home. An entire industry thrives onproducing products to repair, preserve, and revive indoor floorings.Traditional floor preservation techniques consist of methods utilizingdirect applications to the flooring; however, the heavy, yet movable,nature of furniture requires additional protective measures that cannotbe achieved by treatment to the flooring directly. Heavy furniturefrequently damages floors by denting, gouging, and scratching thesurface of the underlying floor, and, thus requires a protection methodthat provides a necessary barrier between the damaging furniture contactpoints and the floor which supports it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, an object of this specification is to disclosea furniture leg cover. In a typical embodiment, the furniture leg coveris cuboidal in shape and provides a two-layer barrier that comprises aninner sleeve and an outer sleeve. The inner sleeve features a squareopening on its superior surface. The square opening receives the leg ofa piece of furniture and secures it within the furniture leg cover.

In another embodiment, the furniture leg cover, features an outersleeve, wherein an inner sleeve is inserted into the outer sleeve. Theouter sleeve comprises the second layer of the two-layer barrier andmakes contact with the flooring when the furniture leg is inserted intothe inner sleeve. The outer sleeve features a slight arch on the bottomof its bottom surface, decreasing the surface area that is in contactwith the floor and allowing for less resistance when moving furniturealong the floor. The arch further perm its the unimpeded passage ofdebris underneath the furniture leg cover such that debris particles arenot caught and drug along the surface of the flooring by the furniturewhen it is in motion.

In one embodiment, the inner anterior surface of the outer sleeve islined with gum foam or felt.

In yet another embodiment, the outer surface of the outer sleeve mayfeature a decorative or ornamental design to increase the aestheticappeal of the furniture leg cover.

Further the outer surface of the outer sleeve may decorated through inmold decorating. This involves placing a film to be inserted into theplastic injection mold. The film may be held in place by vacuum ports oran electrostatic charge. Then the work material is injected into themold. The decoration is permanently printed on the surface of theinjection mold part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objectives of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilledin the art once the invention has been shown and described. The mannerin which these objectives and other desirable characteristics can beobtained is explained in the following description and attached figuresin which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the furniture leg cover;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the furniture leg cover;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the furniture leg cover;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the furniture leg cover;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the furniture leg cover; and,

FIG. 6 is an environmental view of the furniture leg cover.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended figures illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments that will be appreciated by thosereasonably skilled in the relevant arts. Also, figures are notnecessarily made to scale but are representative.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed is a furniture leg cover. FIG. 1 is an exploded view of thefurniture leg cover. Referring to FIG. 1, the furniture leg coverscomprises an inner sleeve 100 and an outer sleeve 200. The inner sleeve100 is preferably cuboidal is shape and features a square opening on itssuperior surface. The square opening is of a size smaller than thecuboidal surface and receives the leg of a piece of furniture. In apreferred embodiment, the inner sleeve features slits 110 on the top ofthe inner sleeve 100. These slits 110 allow for different sizedfurniture legs to be secured into the inner sleeve 100. As shown in FIG.1, the slits 110 in the superior surface radiate from each of the fourcorners of the square opening, creating flexible flaps on the superiorsurface that permit the square opening to receive furniture legs ofvarying sizes. The flexible flaps bend downward in response to theinsertion of a furniture leg larger than the square opening, enlargingthe square opening. The flexible flaps apply a resistance force to thefurniture leg as is inserted into the inner sleeve and bends the flapsdownwards, thus resisting the release of the furniture and holding theleg in place within the furniture leg cover. In essence, the innersleeve 100 provides a resistance fit to furniture legging. Further, theflexible nature of the inner sleeve 100 prevents damage to the furnitureleg by providing a flexible frictional surface that will not scratch thefurniture leg material. The inner sleeve 100 may be constructed of arubber or similar synthetic material of differing colors to add to theaesthetic appeal of the furniture leg cover. In a preferred embodiment,the inner sleeve 100 is not enclosed on the bottom (i.e., the innersleeve 100 only has 5 sides). Accordingly, when a furniture leg isplaced into the inner sleeve 100, the furniture leg is standing on thebottom of the inside of the outer sleeve 200. It should be noted, theinner and outer sleeves 100, 200 could be various polygonal or roundedshapes.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the furniture leg cover. Referring to FIG. 2,the bottom anterior surface of the outer sleeve 200 features an archedsurface 210, such that, when the furniture leg cover is in use, only theouter edges of the anterior surface make contact with the flooring. Theouter sleeve may be constructed of a variety of plastic (i.e.,polyurethane, epoxies, resins, etc.) and wood materials. The archedsurface 210 decreases the surface area of the furniture leg cover thatis in contact with the floor, which allows for less resistance whenmoving furniture along the floor. The arched surface 210 further permitsthe unimpeded passage of debris underneath the furniture leg cover suchthat debris particles are not caught and/or drug along the surface ofthe floor by the furniture leg when it is in motion.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the furniture leg cover. Referring to FIGS. 2and 3, the outer sleeve 200 may feature a crown molding element or anemblem, which provide aesthetically pleasing and decorative elements tothe furniture leg cover. These designs can vary for individual tastes.Other versions of the leg cover may include in-mold decorations. Inparticular, photo-real images may be incorporated with the mold so thatthe images are presented on the outer surfaces of the leg cover. In onemode of production, the in-mold decoration process involves placing afilm, photograph, or like medium for an image into the plastic injectionmold. The film or other item may be held in place by vacuum ports or anelectrostatic charge. Once in position, the work material forconstructing the leg cover is injected into the mold. The decoration ispermanently printed on the surface of the injection mold part. Lacqueror other laminate may then be placed on the outer surface of the legcover for preservative of the medium.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the furniture leg cover. In a preferredembodiment, the top of the inner sleeve 100 features a square openingwith slits 110 that allow for various leg sizes to fit into thefurniture leg cover. In another embodiment, the top of the inner sleeve100 may feature a round opening with radiating slits from the opening.The opening of the top of the inner sleeve 100 may be a variety ofshapes and sizes with a variety of slits 110 protruding from theopening.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the furniture leg cover. In one embodiment,the inside of the bottom of the outer sleeve 200 may feature a feltadhesive that allows the furniture leg to sit on felt. This preventsdamage to the bottom of a furniture leg when standing on the base of theouter sleeve 200. In an alternative embodiment, the inside of the bottomof the outer sleeve 200 may feature a natural gum foam, wherein thefurniture leg sits in the foam.

FIG. 6 is an environmental view of the furniture leg cover with theinner sleeve 100 sitting within the outer sleeve 200.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, an outer sleeve 200 encompasses the innersleeve 100 and creates a barrier between a furniture leg and theflooring. In a preferred embodiment, the outer sleeve 200 is a cuboidalshape, but the superior surface is absent, leaving an opening throughwhich inner sleeve 100 may be inserted. The outer sleeve 200 fullyencompasses the anterior and lateral surfaces of the inner sleeve 100,while leaving the inner sleeve's 100 superior surface uncovered suchthat furniture legs may be inserted through the square opening.

In an alternative embodiment, the inner sleeve 100 may be designed tomatch the aesthetic colors and designs of the outer sleeve 200.Accordingly, the inner sleeve 100 may be interchangeable and swapped outwith other inner sleeves 100.

Although the method and apparatus is described above in terms of variousexemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood thatthe various features, aspects and functionality described in one or moreof the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability tothe particular embodiment with which they are described, but insteadmight be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more ofthe other embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus, whether ornot such embodiments are described and whether or not such features arepresented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the breadthand scope of the claimed invention should not be limited by any of theabove-described embodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unlessotherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open-ended as opposedto limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” shouldbe read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like, the term“example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item indiscussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof, the terms “a” or“an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more,” or thelike, and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,”“standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construedas limiting the item described to a given time period or to an itemavailable as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompassconventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that mightbe available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, wherethis document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known toone of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass thoseapparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in thefuture.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “atleast,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instancesshall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or requiredin instances where such broadening phrases might be absent. The use ofthe term “assembly” does not imply that the components or functionalitydescribed or claimed as part of the module are all configured in acommon package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of amodule, whether control logic or other components, might be combined ina single package or separately maintained and might further bedistributed across multiple locations.

Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described interms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations.As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art afterreading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their variousalternatives might be implemented without confinement to the illustratedexamples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying descriptionshould not be construed as mandating a particular architecture orconfiguration.

Applicant incorporates by reference the claims submitted herein.

I claim:
 1. A furniture leg cover comprising: an inner sleeve, whereinthe inner sleeve features an opening on the top of the sleeve; and, anouter sleeve, wherein the outer sleeve receives the inner sleeve, andwherein the inner sleeve is operationally configured to receive a leg offurniture, whereby furniture legs and floors are protected.
 2. Thefurniture leg cover of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the outer sleevefeatures an arched surface.
 3. The furniture leg of cover claim 1,wherein the inner sleeve and outer sleeve are polygonal.
 4. A method ofprotecting coloring comprising the steps of: obtaining a furniture legcover comprising an inner sleeve, wherein the inner sleeve features anopening on the top of the sleeve, and an outer sleeve, wherein the outersleeve receives the inner sleeve, and wherein the inner sleeve isoperationally configured to receive a leg of furniture, wherebyfurniture legs and floors are protected; and, inserting a furniture leginto the opening on top of the inner sleeve, whereby the furniture legcover rests on the flooring.
 5. A furniture leg cover comprising: Aninner sleeve and; An outer sleeve.
 6. The furniture leg cover of claim 5wherein the sleeves are a similar shape.
 7. The furniture leg cover ofclaim 6 wherein said inner sleeve is sized to fit inside said outersleeve.
 8. The inner sleeve of claim 7 wherein said sleeve has anorifice on said sleeves superior face.
 9. The orifice of claim 8 whereinsaid orifice has radial slits protruding from it.
 10. The furniture legcover of claim 7 wherein said similar shapes are cuboidal.
 11. Thefurniture leg cover of claim 10 wherein said outer sleeve is made of awood, thermoplastic or epoxy.
 12. The furniture leg cover of claim 11wherein said outer sleeve has a bottom configured so that not its entireface is mated with the floor.
 13. The furniture leg cover of claim 12wherein said outer sleeve bottom face is configured to be an arch. 14.The arch of claim 13 wherein said arch is covered with felt.
 15. Thefurniture leg cover of claim 13 wherein said inner sleeve has an insidelined with a gum foam.
 16. The furniture leg cover of claim 15 where theouter sleeve features ornamental markings on a side.
 17. The innersleeve of claim 8 wherein said inner sleeve is made of rubber.
 18. Theorifice of claim 9 wherein said orifice is flexible.
 19. The furnitureleg cover of claim 17 wherein said inner and outer sleeve is customcolored.
 20. The furniture leg cover of claim 19 wherein the innersleeve orifice is a square.